The ARC
by blue-eye-white-wing
Summary: We all make mistakes... Some more than others... Can a young 'Hunter' in training make it through what's to come?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone!**_

_**This is a brand new fic from me and the first one of RWBY that I'll do! I do have some ideas for it and will probably do some more.**_

_**That being said I'll probably release these chapters in between the Don't tell ones.**_

_**In any case, ill hope you'll enjoy it and don't forget to tell me what you think!**_

**I have wanted to make some cool artwork for the fanfic, but sadly I don't have the skill for it. So I wanted to ask if one of you guys could help me with this and make some art for it! I'll really appreciate it and it would be a nice addition to the fic!**

**A\N - I don't own RWBY! Sadly...**

**A HUGE thanks to 'JRC1700' for agreeing to Beta so the fic will be even better! You are awesome! In more ways than one!**

**X-=-=-=-=-X**

**Chapter 1: A terrible idea?**

It's not often that you realize that you've made a bad choice, at least not immediately after you've made it. And this just might be the worst he'd ever regretted making... provided he lived long enough to regret it. Right now he was far too busy being terrified to regret anything, the blonde boy was pretty sure he was going to die as soon as he hit the ground. But despite that, he'd liked to think that he was handling his situation in a calm, cool way.

"AAAHHH!" the boy screamed at the top of his lungs, as he sailed through the air. He uselessly flailed his arms, trying to learn how to fly... or to at least slow down his ever-so-frightening decent.

The noise of the wind in his ears was almost deafening, but that problem was quickly put aside. That was the least of his worries at the moment. He couldn't stop himself from reflecting on all of his mistakes in the last few days... What was he thinking?! Him? Jaune Arc, a huntsmen? He didn't have any sort of training, no special abilities! It was tragic. No, that wasn't right... It had been absolutely laughable to think that things would end any other way. Never mind what the few people he'd met would think of him dying before the first day of school. What he was really afraid of, was what his family would think of his actions. Running away from home, making up a fake background, just to get into school. He'd gotten accepted, no questions asked. He just hoped that his family wouldn't blame the school for accepting him.

By this point he was close enough to the ground, he figured he had seconds before being smeared all over a tree or a rock. He couldn't help but remember the last question he'd posed to the headmaster before being launched to his ultimate end.

Jaune closed his eyes and simply waited for his fears to end, before suddenly noticing a whistling noise. It grew louder and stronger, in an instant the boy's descent was suddenly reversed from the ground to a tree.

He opened his eyes when he'd stopped completely. Looking around, he saw that he was in a tree, pinned down by a red and gold metal spear embedded in his body.

"Thank you!" he called out to whoever saved him, in hopes that they would hear him.

"I'm sorry!" Jaune could barely hear someone yelling back to him. He didn't really understand what the person who'd saved him had meant.

"Well... I guess I'll just 'hang around'..." he spoke to no one, currently left to stew in his bad pun.

...

Jaune was currently accompanied by his savior, and new partner, Pyrrha Nikos. The redheaded girl was the same person he'd met before being launched into the forest. She'd arrived a few minutes after saving him, she'd even helped him down from the tree.

"I didn't do that much Jaune" she explained with a small smile. "If anything, I'd feared that I stopped you from managing the landing on your own..."

Was she serious? "Pyrrha, if you hadn't saved me I would be dead right now! I don't think any normal person could survive a fall like that." It was simply crazy to think that anyone could.

"Well maybe you would get slightly bruised if you're not prepared, or caught off guard... But your aura would protect you from most of the damage" the golden Spartan pointed out.

"My what?" he immediately asked, unfamiliar with this aura thing his new partner was talking about.

She simply giggled in response, before waving him off. "Come on Jaune, stop joking around." He was already making her laugh at the silliest things, just like she'd hoped for during her time at Beacon.

The redheaded champion waited a few more seconds, before her smile dropped completely. "Jaune you're... you're serious, aren't you?"

The blonde boy simply nodded in confirmation, his partner looked horrified at his answer. 'Is it that big of a deal?' Jaune thought, waiting for her to respond. He was already worried that he'd gotten in over his head. She began to explain to him what an aura was.

"Wait so that means... you haven't unlocked your aura yet?" she asked, only to receive a no in return.

"Is-is it that bad?" Jaune started visibly fidgeting, until she moved closer to him.

"It is Jaune..." was all she said, before a smile appeared on her features. "But it's noting that can't be fixed..." Her hand moved to his cheek and brushed the small scratch he'd received when he'd fallen. "Now close your eyes..." was the last thing Pyrrha said, before she started a chant to unlock his aura.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." While unlocking Jaune's aura, her hands began to unconsciously roam across his chest and arms. As soon as she finished the ritual, she felt a bit tired from the small ordeal.

"Pyrrha? Are you okay?" Moving quickly to support her, the blonde boy helped her straighten up. She moved back just enough to look him in the eye.

"I'm fine Jaune, more importantly, do you feel any different?" She looked towards him, as if expecting something.

"Something different-" The words got stuck in his throat, as a strange but familiar wave of power washed all over his body. "Is... is this my aura?" he asked. The redheaded champion nodded happily.

She was already happy with her partner. She couldn't wait to start her time at Beacon as just a normal huntress in training, at least as far as her team knew.

**X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X**

"What the hell is going on!?" Jaune all but screamed. He and his temporary team were busy running from a huge death stalker, while Pyrrha provided cover fire for them. Unfortunately it didn't stop said Grimm from advancing, only succeeding in annoying it further.

It was almost overwhelming to think of just how much weaker he was, even with his aura now unlocked. His temporary teammates Ren and Nora were jumping and moving in a rapid, flowing way. It almost looked as if they already knew where the creature was going to attack, then there was Pyrrha... Compared to Ren and his orangete partner, the champion was practically dancing, as she fended off the huge Grimm.

All while Ruby, and what was obviously her future team, were busy fighting off an even bigger flying Grimm that sported an almost deafening scream.

They were all simply amazing... there was no other way to describe it! Moving and attacking, dodging and working together, like it was the most natural thing in the world! And then there was Jaune, just standing around watching them fight. It made him feel... weak... useless... Just like he'd felt before he'd entered Beacon.

He hated it.

He wanted to change the way he was... to help people, that was his dream! But instead, all he ever did was stand around and hold his sword and shield.

'Damn it!' he thought, suddenly noticing that the scorpion Grimm was now targeting him. Maybe its instincts were telling it to go after the weakest of them, or simply because the blonde had caught its eye. It started charging at the blonde boy, snapping it's pincers in a menacing way, clearly meaning to frighten its new target.

A wave of bravery rushed through Jaune. He readied his shield for a hit, already planning his counterattack. He didn't get the chance, as Nora rushed over in front of him and slammed her pink hammer onto the Grimm's head.

'Hiisssssss' it roared in its anger and pain, rearing back.

"Stay back until we get it" the orangette said, transforming her hammer into a different weapon.

'Oh for Oum's sake! Can't I even get a chance to fight?!' The orange-haired girl finished transforming her weapon into a Grenade launcher, aiming it at the Grimm. By now it had recovered from her hit, sending its tail right at her.

"Whoa!" She immediately moved. The poisoned tip hit the ground with such force it cracked it, sending the girl flying back. She accidentally pulled the trigger on her weapon, her grenade launcher fired off a round behind her.

The explosion was big enough to lift Jaune into the air a second later. He wasn't feeling much pain, even if his ears were ringing from the explosion. This aura thing was honestly amazing, extremely handy too! How come he'd never heard of it until now?

The blonde boy looked down as Nora continued to jump around the Grimm, she was soon joined by Ren. 'Can't I do something too?!' He looked around, until his eyes locked onto a distant figure. Jaune saw Ruby... his first friend in Beacon, currently using her weapon to drag an enormous Grimm off a cliff.

'Ruby is so strong! Is it because of her weapon?' His eyes focused on the black and red scythe. "Crescent Rose", he let the name roll on his tongue. He could almost feel the power of the bladed weapon, emanating from its menacing appearance.

Jaune Arc's head started to throb. He almost wished he had a hunter's weapon like hers, maybe then he'd be as strong as the redheaded reaper.

His hands started to burn as he rapidly descended towards the Grimm that was no longer paying any attention to him. It was busy trying to dispose of his three fellow hunters-in-training.

'I need to do it like Ruby!' the boy thought. His hands burned, as if he was trying to hold a burning coal in his hands. His heart hammered in his chest so hard it may very well break him from the inside. 'It's... not... enough!' He could already predict the fact that he wasn't going to kill the Grimm, even if it was completely distracted. 'Faster...'

Ren was now in the middle of a full assault on the Grimm with Pyrrha. The Grimm kept its attention on the two of them. After all, they'd proven that they were legitimate threats. Its armored hide was now punctured with several bullet holes, along with a few noticeable marks on its legs. The two hunters barely felt winded, but for all their hard work the damage they'd done to the creature was barely noticeable. Things wasn't going great, they needed a plan.

The two hunters in training heard a whistling sound in the direction of the Grimm, but not emanating from the beast itself. Even the huge Grimm looked around in wonder.

It could never have expected a human-sized meteor to crash right into its back. It dented its armor and left a big crater around the area, sending wind and dust all over. The Grimm's pincers opened and shook for a few moments, before the creature ultimately collapsed into a pile with a weak screech.

Ren and the redheaded champion looked in worry at the Grimm, as if preparing for it to rise again. A few seconds after it started to disintegrate, allowing the two hunters to exhale the breathes they had been holding and relax.

"It appears we managed to defeat it" the black-haired boy said, putting away his weapons.

"Yeah we did, right?" Pyrrha asked, putting her spear away as well.

The boy nodded, looking over at the remains of the Grimm. "Nora really went all-out this time..." he reflected to himself.

"Your partner, right? Did you come to Beacon together with her?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Childhood friends... And yeah, we did" Ren answered, looking at the redhead. "It appears that you, Nora, Jeane, and I are going to be together on the same team." He offered his hand to her, she gingerly took it with a smile.

"It appears so, nice to formally make your acquaintance!"

She replied with the same, already having a good feeling about her new teammates. She always had to worry about whether or not the people she met were fans. Acting as if she wasn't an actual person, just "the champion".

If Ren was one of her fans, he hid it well enough. He didn't even bat an eyelid, nor did he try to impress her.

"Whaa... what happened?" asked a voice.

Looking to the source, the redheaded champion saw her future blonde teammate. He came out of the small crater where the Grimm had stood only seconds ago. He looked completely fine, outside of some dust on his clothes. It appeared that his Aura had taken most, if not all, of the damage. The blonde boy wobbled, as he was having trouble walking.

"What... what happened?"

**X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X**

After dealing with the Grimm who'd attacked them, the students arrived back at Beacon and were awaiting the announcement of their new teams.

The new students stood around a large platform, those who were called moving to receive their team name and officially start their time as hunters-in-training.

A few students were already in their respective teams, as the headmaster continued to call out names.

Jaune Arc couldn't be any more exited to receive his teammates. From what he could tell, it was obvious that his partner was going to be Pyrrha. His other teammates were probably going to be the cool-headed Ren, along with his childhood friend Nora.

He'd already gotten to fight alongside them against the Death Stalker, he'd even talked to them on the way back. The two had already proven to be interesting and a funny combination, as Nora kept insisting that she and Ren weren't together- together... Whatever that meant.

He could also see the girl he'd first met, as he walked off the bullhead. 'I think her name was Ruby...' He looked over to see said girl talking to a blonde beauty who just seemed to scream confidence, along with just how much out of his league she was. Said blonde girl was currently busy chatting with Ruby, all the while she was blocking a certain white-haired beauty from glaring at them.

Jaune immediately recognized her as Weiss Schnee. She was the heiress of the Schnee dust company, as well as the girl he'd made an absolute ass of himself in front of. 'Well, at least I can say that I've learned my lesson... Stay away from girls that I'm only worthy to dream about...'

The last girl was almost pale-skinned, wearing a slightly revealing outfit with a black bow on top.

They were all drop-dead gorgeous in their own way. An elegant and classic beauty, a blonde bombshell, a mysterious girl, and an innocent young girl. The blonde boy knew perfectly well he had no chance in hell with any of them, so he simply accepted that fact and promised to himself that said fact wouldn't get in the way of his time at Beacon.

All he had to do was wait for his name to be called.

"And for the next team... Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Pyrrha Nikos... Team JRWP!" the older man called out with a smile as he looked at the blonde boy.

...

'Wait, what?' The blonde boy looked around himself in confusion. It had just hit him who his teammates were, and apparently he wasn't the only one to be surprised.

After some time, the remainder of the students formed their respective teams. One group in particular were on their way to their rooms, currently engaged in a heated discussion.

"This is absolute bullshit!" the blonde bombshell, now known as Yang, complained... for the fifth time in the past hour.

"I know what you mean... But I thought that you wanted me to interact with people by myself" the youngest one in the group pointed out. "You know... like when you ran off on me on the first day?" she pointed out, with a touch of annoyance.

The group winced, as her sister scoffed. "That's not what I meant Rubes... I'm not complaining about not being on the same team as you" the blonde started to explain. "What I'm annoyed about was that we were supposed to already be together, then they simply decided to change things around for no reason!"

The second team was led by Ren, with Nora as his partner. Their teammates were Yang, as well as a black-haired girl known as Blake. Team RNYB for short.

Jaune couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at not ending up on the same team as Ren and Nora, they did seem incredibly nice. But at least he could take comfort in the fact that he had Ruby as his partner, as well as Pyrrha on his team! The only person he was slightly worried about was the white-haired heiress, as his first encounter with her was an excellent example of a poor first impression. Not to mention that he'd ended up being the team leader, of all things! There had to be a mistake! He was even considering talking to the headmaster, in the hopes of changing his decision. Ultimately he chose to keep everything to himself, in the fear he'd be expelled if they found out the truth about his fake background.

"Okay, this is our room" the black-haired Ren informed, glancing up from a piece of paper to the number on the door in front of him. He didn't sound remotely interested or excited, but that was apparently how he normally was according to Nora.

Jaune glanced down to his own piece of paper, as he looked around. "Well, our room is... We must have passed ours or something-" He never managed to finish his sentence, as someone grabbed the note from his hands.

"Let me see that, you dolt." Weiss looked over the number for a moment, then looked next to her, before stuffing it back into his hands. "It's here... Or maybe it's that you can't read, that you didn't notice something right in front of you?" She didn't wait for an answer, simply entering the room and ignoring any response he may have had.

"Ouch... She seemed nice, glad I dodged that bullet!" Yang offered with a cocky smile, Nora joined her.

Ruby offered her a flat look. "You know she's on my team..."

"Like I said... 'I' dodged that bullet!" she repeated for emphasis.

"You suck Yang..." the small girl pouted, crossing her arms.

"Weiss is not that bad, you'll get used to her in no time" the redheaded champion assured, trying to polish up her new partner's image.

"Didn't you tell me that you wanted Jaune to be your partner? And if not him, then anyone as long-mumf" Nora Valkiry tried to ask, forcing Pyrrha to shut her up as she dragged the girl into her room.

"I'll be back in a second" Pyrrha assured, as she closed the door behind them. The rest of the group shrugged, Ren was the first to break the silence.

"We better start setting up our beds, we'll meet up afterwords?" He looked up to Jaune, the blonde nodded in response.

'Well, all in all, it's not that bad... Could be worse...' Jaune thought opening the door to his new room in Beacon. He noticed Pyrrha's partner standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. 'Corrosion, it just got worse.'

**X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X**

Weiss considered herself to be a patient and respectable young lady. She was proud that she'd managed to get into Beacon and away from her family, or more specifically her father. He'd wanted her to remain in Atlas, so he could continue to have absolute control over her.

She'd trained herself, with a bit of help from her sister, until she'd been ready and able to get into this school. The only thing she really wanted was to get along with her teammates and prove that she didn't need to rely on her family name to get what she wanted, or to succeed.

Pyrrha Nicos was her partner now, and that was perfect! She was strong and easy to talk to. She wouldn't treat her any differently because of her own fame, exactly like she'd hoped.

...and then there were her other two teammates, a child and an idiot.

She scowled as she stared to her right, glaring at her team leader and his partner. The blonde boy was busy trying to keep his eyes open as their teacher continued to lecture. The girl next to him on the other hand, looked as if she had too much energy to stay still.

'It's only the first class, and I'm already dreading the rest of the year...' The white-haired heiress nearly hit her head on her table, but refrained from damaging her image or making a fool out of herself.

Ruby Rose was exited about her first class, even if she was sure that she probably wouldn't remember any of the things the teacher said afterwards. The girl was practically buzzing, vibrating from trying to contain her enthusiasm.

Ruby was obviously a bit disappointed at the fact that she wasn't going to be in the same team as her big sister, but took comfort that she'd still be with her first friend at Beacon. Looking to her side she saw her partner Jaune, sitting in a slack pose and obviously tired. She wasn't sure exactly what to think about what she'd seen in the Emerald forest... It was too bizarre to even describe.

As she was dealing with the Neramor, finishing it off, she'd been the only one who'd looked down and seen what had actually happened to the Death Stalker. She'd noticed that her blonde partner was currently up in the air, but not by choice it seemed. The young girl was about to try and do something to help him, despite knowing that she most likely would be unable to reach him in time.

Then she saw something happening in the distance, as the boy's body suddenly became enveloped by a weak golden light. Then the light morphed into to a different, and very familiar, shade of red. He suddenly started to slowly descend, before gaining an incredible amount of speed. He'd already become a blur, before ultimately crashing down upon the huge Grimm and effectively ending it.

She was glad that her partner was so nice and easy to talk too, even more so with just how socially awkward she was.

The class continued with some of the other students talking and whispering to their teammates, as the rest took notes or simply took the time to rest from their ordeal in the Emerald forest. After what seemed like an eternity, class ended with a loud ring. The students nearly fled the classroom, many of them exited for the next class. It was to be expected, as the next subject happened to be the very thing most wanted to excel at.

"I'm so fired up!" The small reaper was jumping around her and her sister's teammates, as they all moved together.

"I know what you mean sis, I've been itching for someone to bash around the ring!" Yang agreed.

Nora moved next to her, before wrapping an arm around her blonde teammate. "I feel you sister! I can't wait to break some legs!" the orangette exclaimed, sporting the most innocent and vicious look on her face.

"Are you that bloodthirsty? It's only our first combat class!" Weiss tried to understand what the big deal was, as she'd noticed just how much tamer she was compared to her teammates.

"It's not that, Ice Queen" Yang responded, promptly ignoring the annoyed look Weiss shot in her direction over her new nickname. "It's because this is our first class where I can show that I'm serious about my training, not to mention that I'd like to attract strong people to challenge me!"

Everyone looked impressed with the blonde girl's response, even as Weiss looked conflicted and uncomfortable. "I see, then I apologize for assuming the worst of you and-" she was about to continue, before the blonde bombshell interrupted.

"...but more importantly, I need to vent about not being on the same team with my little Rubs!" Yang finished with a smile, cracking her knuckles in a menacing way.

"I take back everything I said... you ARE just as bloodthirsty as I assumed" the white-haired girl sneered at the blonde.

"Oh, I love you too sis!" Ruby declared, teleporting next to her sister and hugging her.

"Don't encourage her!" the heiress huffed, feeling a migraine coming on. Looking next to her the girl glanced at her partner, who seemed to be giggling at the behavior of the youngest girl in the group.

...

Finally the teams arrived at their combat class, taking their places around the center. Their blonde teacher was already standing in the middle of the ring. Glynda Goodwiche was scanning the faces of her new students, as if trying to memorize them all.

She waited a few more seconds for the last handful of students to enter, before she started speaking. After a short introduction, the older blonde woman started going over the rules for spars.

Jaune was standing next to his teammate Pyrrha and his partner Ruby. The latter was almost jumping, trying to get a better look at the ring. He certainly wasn't as excited as she was.

And how could he be? He'd only now realized just how large the gap between him and his friends was. 'What was I thinking?' he kept pondering to himself. He'd planned on figuring out a way to train himself when he had some spare time, maybe check up on the other students. But after seeing some of his classmates fight each other, he guessed that he was probably the weakest one in his class... No, that wasn't right, in the entire first year!

At least he could take some comfort in the fact that his teammates were strong enough to help him get better. According to Ruby, and Ice Q-Weiss, Pyrrha was some big-shot tournament fighter. Allegedly, she was currently undefeated in the ring.

He glanced at her and smiled. He knew from their first meeting that he could probably ask her for some help, seeing how nice and friendly she'd been. The redheaded champion had obviously noticed him looking, as she'd smiled back at him.

He'd be fine... Jaune was sure of it! He only needed to stay quiet and not draw any attention towards himself.

"Now the last match of today will be... Cardin Winchester and..." Glenda passed over the students, as if searching for someone in particular. "Jaune Arc" was all the blonde teacher said.

"Alright! Time for my partner to shine!" The little reaper started nudging the blonde foreword, the rest of the group shouting their own encouragements at him.

'Well... so much for lying low.' He just smiled at his team, before moving forward. The young Arc moved with slow, heavy steps. He passed his team, after giving them a smile. His face immediately contorted into a slightly panicked expression, as he'd finally arrived at the steps that lead to the top of the ring.

'It's fine... it's just a spar... Not like anything is going to happen, right?' He kept trying to reassure himself that this was still only the first day, he was certain that nobody was expecting him to be all that impressive.

The blonde boy noticed the blonde teacher, a few feet from her stood his opponent.

"Took you long enough! I was about to fall asleep!" the boy barked, smirking at Jaune.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." the blonde responded. He scratched his head, not really sure what to say.

"Kick his ass Jaune!" Yang called. She, Nora, and Ruby cheered him on from the sidelines.

Cardin's response was to look angrily at his blonde opponent. 'Oh, come on! She was the one who said it, not me!' Jaune was already regretting what was going to happen to him, and it hadn't even really started yet.

"Oh... I'm going to enjoy this!" Winchester tightened his grip on his weapon, lunging forward towards his victim.

Jaune's instincts flared up, he tried to use his shield to block the attack. Unfortunately he didn't account for the power behind the blow, as he got bashed aside as if he was nothing. His team fell quiet as he fell on his back, his shield knocked aside.

"Ouch... that's going to leave a mark." Yang winced, her sister looked slightly worried.

"Somehow, I'm pretty sure this is your fault..." Weiss declared, as the rest of the group stared at her. She did feel bad, especially when Ruby pouted at her.

"Ahh... whups?" She tried to sound as innocent as she could, but failed as her little sister didn't look all that convinced.

By this point Jaune had gotten back up, clutching the arm that that held his shield. His hand shook in pain. The blonde boy saw a small chunk of his Aura fall from his bar, leaving him with slightly more than half left.

As he'd gotten to his feet Cardin had moved closer, wearing a wide and victorious smile. "Well, that was easy... Maybe you'd better just give up and run back to your little girlfriends, maybe they can give me a better challenge!" The bigger boy started eyeing the blonde's teammates, focusing on one of them.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you Winchester!" Yang threatened, her eyes starting to change to red.

"Don't worry you'll get your-" The boy looked at Jaune as he scowled at him. "You're still here? I thought I told you to get lost..." Jaune didn't respond, only preparing his sword. "Fine... I'm tired of looking at your face anyway..."

Jaune could only stare as the boy started moving again, a much more menacing glare on his face. Fear flared inside of him, his mind going a thousand miles an hour, as if he was preparing for the hit.

'Move...'

Something whispered inside his mind. A voice so very familiar, and yet so easily forgotten.

Could he make it, could he move out of the way? Could he actually win? No, he couldn't... 'I bet Ruby could...' his mind suggested, as a vague image of his partner appeared in his mind.

"Now stay down!" the Winchester boy's voice called out, already swinging his mace down at the blonde's head.

Something flashed, everyone looked wide-eyed at the two boys in the ring.

**X-=-=-=-=-=-X**

**Well, that was the first chapter!**

**Don't forget to tell me what you think!**

**PS: If you want to read some of the best RWBY fics I've seen then look up "****Coeur Al'Aran" trust me you won't be disappointed!**

**I'll see you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Behind The Scenes

**Hey everyone!**

**First off my response to all of you awesome radars:**

**Arc-Angel-Of-Fire:** That some way to say you want to see more... I think?

**1Apple1**: I hope so!

**Benkei Atsumori:** I am aware of the rules of team building in RWBY, there is a reason for it and it will be explained in the future. It's nothing as simple as it's because I want it. It's cool man! I do like criticism.

**Kreceir**: Got it! was my first time with a RWBY fic! we can all hope for that...

**Vanitas50**: Indeed I did!

**Suqu124**: I hope you will enjoy this one as well!

**jtcookie96**: Well, here you go man!

**Deku Momiya**: Thanks a lot man!

**Fugshipyae**: I guess I did, need to check that out!

**MaksmoNero**: It's cool man, I hope you already saw his fics they are the best there are! I know what you mean, I did try something new hopefully it won't make it unreadable. yeah, I get it... it's soon man!

**I have wanted to make some cool artwork for the fanfic, but sadly I don't have the skill for it. So I wanted to ask if one of you guys could help me with this and make some art for it! I'll really appreciate it and it would be a nice addition to the fic!**

**A\N - I don't own RWBY! Sadly...**

**A HUGE thanks to 'JRC1700' for agreeing to Beta so the fic will be even better! You are awesome! In more ways than one!**

**P.S - I have been working on a completely new Rwby fic with my Beta so look forward to it!**

**BTW!**

**I have created a** **P a treon . account to help and support my hobby! If you want you can support me or just feeling generous so I can get the chapters out faster and maybe something more if anyone is interested so go and check it out! :) Ps - some new stories over there!.**

**P a treon . com (slash) blue_eye_white_wing**

**X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X**

**Chapter 2: B****ehind The Scenes**

"Well, that was a disaster…" Professor Goodwitch remarked, reflecting on her introductory class for the new first year's. Said woman was currently standing in the headmaster's office. The man himself sat behind his desk, calmly drinking his coffee. He seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal, like he was with most things around him.

"Glynda, whatever do you mean?" Ozpin's face wore his usual placid look. He hid his full expression behind his coffee mug, waiting for his deputy to respond. She knew that even without the object obscuring her boss, she'd still have a hard time getting a read on him.

The blonde woman knew from the tone of his voice, and painful experience, that he was up to something once more. Her instincts had rarely led her astray. This was doubly true when it involved the headmaster and his plans, whatever they were. "You know very well what I'm talking about, Headmaster… Teams RWBY and JNPR?" she prompted, clearly miffed at Ozpin's games.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Glynda. We don't have any teams with those names…" he responded calmly. The Headmaster remained completely unconcerned with the women's tone, as well as the stare that was currently being leveled at him.

Professor Goodwitch sighed. "Well, then let me clarify… we WERE going to have teams with those names. That is… until you decided, out of nowhere, to change the teams that were supposed to be formed! NOW do you understand what I mean, Headmaster?" she breathed out, clearly annoyed.

"Glynda, your anger is quite misplaced-" the man began, before he noticed her serious expression. "I assure you that it was a carefully calculated, necessary change" Ozpin guaranteed, getting up from his seat to stand next to a large window in his office. He took in the view, contemplating something he wouldn't share. "I didn't mean to cause you any distress, or worry…"

"And what of Mr. Arc?" the blonde huntress asked.

"Mm? Is there something wrong with Mr. Arc?" Ozpin's tone was difficult to read at the moment. To make things more difficult, she couldn't even see his expression.

"I mean the fact that you just-…" Glynda Goodwitch took a moment, before she shook her head. "Never mind… it's nothing." The blonde woman had decided to avoid prying any further, as she would only make matters worse for one of her students. He was already struggling enough, as it was.

X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X

Lunchtime had arrived, the students of Beacon academy sitting around in the big mess hall. At one of the tables, in the middle of the room, two tightly knit teams sat together.

Ruby was next to her big sister, the two girls busy discussing the matches they'd each participated in. The small reaper was glancing at her blonde partner every few minutes, in between her conversation with the blonde bombshell.

Jaune was sitting next to Ren and Nora, the latter hanging on her partner's arm. The three were talking amongst themselves about their first class, as well as just how boring it had been.

The same went for Pyrrha and her white-haired partner. The redheaded champion had let go of her initial trepidation concerning Weiss, deciding to give the girl a chance. Perhaps the two could become closer, or even friends. But surely that would depend on if the white-haired girl could see the champion for who she was, rather than 'the invincible girl' most people did.

The last member at the table was Blake, currently busy reading a small book. The odd thing was, she'd refused to even tell them what it was. Ruby had already asked, getting rejected almost instantly.

While her older sister babbled, the small reaper thought about what she'd seen. Specifically, when her partner had fought the last match of the day. She doubted that anyone else had noticed exactly what had happened. After all, she'd barely been able to tell. She knew from experience, no one was faster than she was.

A few hours earlier…

Ruby Rose felt an instinctive urge to close her eyes, her partner was about to get hit a second time. By the looks of his Aura gauge, he'd probably get knocked out. The small girl was unsure if she should speak up to stop the fight. The blonde teen was clearly in way over his head, this had obviously been an unfair match from the start. Her blonde partner had seemed much stronger than this when they'd fought the grim during Initiation. Hell, he'd dealt the final blow to that deathstalker! So, why did he seem so weak right now?

His opponent's mace came down, right on top of his head. The blonde teen didn't move, even if Ruby was sure he could have avoided it in time.

Then something seemed to shift in Jaune's demeanor, his eyes reopened. But unlike their normal baby-blue color, they were a much deeper sapphire. They were almost shining, in a way that puzzled the little reaper. Immediately thereafter, her partner seemed to teleport behind Cardin's back. The bigger boy collapsed to the floor like a rag-doll, after being hit once by Jaune.

The girl kept fretting over what she'd seen, Ruby vowed to look into this as soon as she got the chance to. It almost looked like Jaune was- Her eyes snapped open, a voice derailing her train of thought.

"What are you staring at sis? See something you like?" the blonde girl next to her teased.

"What?" Ruby blinked a few times, before her sister's words sank in. She immediately shook her head for a no, rejecting her older sister's insinuation.

"Is that so? Then why are you so defensive about it? Not to mention your face…" Yang went so far as to poke one of Ruby's increasingly-red cheeks.

The small prodigy was about to say something to convince her larger sibling drop the subject, before a sudden voice filled the hall.

"What the hell are these?!" someone shouted. All eyes across the room were pulled over, among them were the two teams currently sitting together.

"Oh, come on… Him again?" Pyrrha moaned, shifting her attention away from her partner. She stared at the one who'd spoke, leveling a flat expression far from her normally pleasant one.

Jaune himself looked up from his lunch, noticing the same student that he'd recently fought in Miss Goodwitch's class. The tall boy and the rest of his team were standing around a much smaller student, a girl.

"Please stop, it hurts!" she pleaded, struggling to break free of Cardin's hold on her.

The brown-haired boy was holding her… ears?

"Seriously, what's that asshole's problem?" Yang asked, it was pretty clear she didn't care for the bullying. "Now he's harassing some random girl? I oughta go over there and punch his lights out!" Yang declared. This situation reminded her of a time that Ruby had been bullied herself. It may have only happened once, but that had been more then enough. Yang had ensured that the ones who'd dared to harm her sister would never show their faces around school again, not after what she'd done to them. The blonde girl was about to get up, when her partner spoke up from her spot.

"I don't think it's because she's a girl… It's because she's a faunus, see the ears?" Blake concluded, pointing out the large bunny ears that the bully was currently pulling.

"So? That doesn't mean it's okay for him to do that!" the youngest girl among them spat in anger, Yang patted her head.

"Don't worry Ruby, your big sis is gonna go and stomp on his head a few times. So-" the blonde huntress in training reassured her sister with a smile, she was happy to take care of this little issue.

Before Yang could get up from her seat, she noticed a different blonde rise up from his spot. He started walking away from their table, towards the middle of the cafeteria. His destination was clear, the auburn-haired bully busily tormenting the rabbit-girl.

"Oh boy…" the blonde brawler moaned, already anticipating this going south quickly.

"That idiot…" Weiss snapped. She facepalmed at her team leader's reckless actions.

"What do you want, Arc?" the bully sneered, his attention diverted from the girl to the blonde teen. He wasn't the only one staring at Jaune. The rest of the room had gone from ignoring what was happening, to looking excited. As if a fight was about to break out. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I was hoping you'd stop bothering her… But, then I thought you might bully someone else, so-" Jaune started explaining, the bigger boy let go of the faunus girl's ears. He stepped right in front of the blonde, a spectacularly unsubtle attempt at intimidation.

"You want to take her place?" Cardin smiled in a threatening way, standing mere inches away from the other boy.

"You know Cardin, you really ought to know that she's a second year. The way I see it, she just doesn't want to embarrass you…" The blonde boy glanced at the girl, before looking back at the larger boy. "…but I don't mind doing it again. After all, I already did it once…" Jaune preened with a smirk. The bully began to shake in anger from the sudden snip.

"You mean the fight you cheated in!" Cardin spat, refusing to move from his spot.

"I cheated?" the blonde teen asked in confusion, was Cardin serious?

"Yeah! I was knocking you around the ring, like a rag-doll! Then suddenly, before I could finish you off, I was on the ground! I know you did something! Or, maybe someone else helped you!" The auburn-haired bully glanced over at Jaune's team, as if searching for the "guilty party".

The blonde knight was baffled, Cardin thought he'd cheated? Did he forget that every one of their matches were monitored personally? By Professor GOODWITCH, no less! You know, the professional Huntress? "If that's what you think, I can always do it again" Jaune offered.

"Wha-" That seemed to grab Cardin's attention.

"You said I won because I cheated, right? So, how about we fight again?" Jaune stood taller now, Cardin took almost a full step back. "I can even allow your team be present, just so they'll see it wasn't a one off too. So, what do you say?"

…

Cardin looked at his team for a moment, thinking if he wanted to go along with the idea. The blonde boy hadn't looked like much at the start, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight. Cardin had already asked his team what had happened, but all of them had given the same answer: 'we didn't see anything…' He trusted their word, as they'd been friends before Beacon.

After a few moments the bigger boy shoved Jaune aside, walking past him. "Whatever… Arc, you're not worth the effort…" he sneered at the blonde boy. Team Cardinal moved out of the cafeteria, ultimately abandoning their first target.

Jaune kept his eyes locked on the group as they exited the room, he refused to move until he was certain that they were gone. Once he was, Jaune turned his attention to the rabbit faunus. The huntress looked slightly worried, gently rubbing her long ears. "They won't bother you again… And if they do, I'll straighten them out!" he declared, before giving her a wink and turning away.

"Ah-", the brunette faunus was as red as a tomato. Her heart-rate sped up, as the very handsome blond boy smiled at her. She attempted to say something, but stopped again. Her mortification at being the center of attention had paralyzed her, preventing her from even thanking him. Jaune had been right, when he'd concluded that she could crush the entirety of Team Cardinal, but what would that really accomplish? As a faunus she was no stranger to racism, thumping them would have only made the discrimination worse. Unfortunately, she knew that from experience…

'That… Was… Awesome!' the blonde cheered, barely able to keep himself from shaking in excitement. This was what he'd always dreamed being a hunter would be like! Helping people out, acting like a hero… This particular case wasn't that big of a deal, he hadn't even fought any Grimm. But, at the very least, he'd liked to think that he'd helped someone.

The young knight kept himself poised, moving back to sit with his friends. They all stared at him, different expressions on their faces.

First there was Yang and Pyrrha. They both smiled at him, glad to see someone take the auburn-haired bully down a peg… Especially before Yang did it herself, in a far bloodier manner. Said blonde brawler gave him a thumbs-up.

Next there was Ruby and Nora, the two had twinkles in their eyes. They couldn't wait to praise him, just as soon as he sat down. Off to Nora's side was Ren, he too smiled at the only other male between the two teams. The ninja seemed to approve of his new friend's little act.

Blake looked up from her book, a tiny smile flashing on her face. It vanished again, the noirette returning to her book. Finally, Weiss looked conflicted at what to say. The tiny girl definitely wanted to say something, but seemed to be thinking on just how to phrase it.

As Jaune sat down, Ruby moved up right next to him. The young reaper was looking forward to praising him for a job well done, as well as declaring that her partner was awesome!

Yep, this was clearly an amazing day for the young blonde boy! All he'd ever wanted was to help other people, just like the hunters in all those stories he'd heard when he was young! And now? He was doing just that!

Ruby moved closer to the blonde teen, smiling broadly at him. "Say, Jaune, could you let me take a look at your sword?" the young girl suddenly asked out of nowhere.

The table fell quiet, everyone staring at the reaper, shock clear. The sound of Yang whistling broke the silence. "Wow sis, I never knew you were so eager to work intimately with your partner." The blonde berserker winked at her little sister.

It took Ruby a few seconds, her confused expression morphing into one of horror, she punched her sister's arm. "Yang! I'm talking about his weapon!" the younger girl clarified.

"Yeah… His weapon, huh? I wonder if I should give you "the talk", or wait for you to figure it out for yourself…" The boxer's smile indicated just how much she was enjoying making fun of her little sister.

"HIS SWORD, YANG!" Ruby shouted. She nearly screamed in frustration at her sister's not so subtle jabs.

"Oh, I know. His big, long sword…" she mocked, breaking out in laughter as her sister's embarrassment hit its peak.

"I hate you, so much…" the smaller girl mumbled. She looked down, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Jaune just stared at the two sisters. This was FAR from a new concept to him, as he had seven sisters himself. So many, in fact, that it seemed like he was getting teased by at least one of them at any given time.

"Shouldn't you have put a stop to this nonsense by now?" Weiss suddenly asked. She looked towards her team leader, halfheartedly pointing at the shaking mess that was Ruby.

"Oh, right!" The blonde boy turned to his partner. 'I should show them that I can be a good leader!' he concluded, assuming that had been what the white-haired girl meant. "Don't worry, Ruby! As my partner, you can see my weapon whenever you want to!" the blonde boy declared with pride.

Ruby's head hit the table, the majority of its occupants erupting in laughter. The loudest one, by far, was Yang. She banged her fist on the table. Weiss simply face-palmed, hissing something under her breath.

X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X

It was night, all classes concluded for the day. Most students were either in their rooms, or busy hanging out. Among them were three first years, standing on the rooftop, they'd broken off from the rest of their group. It had been Ruby's idea, guiding her team leader Jaune to the remote vantage point. Her other teammate, Pyrrha, had been more than happy to join the two.

Their last teammate, Weiss, had declined Ruby's offer. She'd wanted to talk with one of the teachers, for some reason. Was she really that worried about her grades, so soon into the semester?

Their sister team had retired to their room. Everyone had had enough of Yang's puns for the day, their friends had chosen to save Jaune's team from the additional torture.

"Okay, this should be good enough!" the small girl declared, looking around.

"Good for what, Ruby?" Jaune asked. "And why did you ask me to bring my weapon?" The blonde boy pointed to the sword strapped to his waist.

"Could you please not call it that?" the smaller girl muttered, vividly recalling her sister's teasing from earlier.

"Huh? But, that's what-" the boy defended, before Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just leave it at that, okay Jaune?" the redhead asked. She received a nod from the boy, as well as a thankful look from the young reaper.

The champion smiled brightly, Ruby pulled her partner away from her. She'd been so worried prior to arriving at Beacon, concerned that the decision to come here (instead of staying in Mistral) would blow up in her face. All she'd wanted was a team that wouldn't treat her like some prize fighter, or the pinnacle of everything a huntress was supposed to be. She'd gotten her fill of that back home.

To her absolute joy, her teammates were all nothing like what she'd feared (with the possible exception of Weiss). Ruby was extremely skilled for her age. The cloaked girl was absolutely adorable, to the point where Pyrrha found herself holding back from hugging the smaller girl. Ruby didn't care about her fame at all! If anything, the young reaper was more interested in her weapons than her achievements! It was a fantastic change of pace!

And then there was her team leader, someone who'd never even heard of her before. That was odd, to say the least. It wasn't as if she was a movie star, but she was still fairly well-known throughout the kingdoms. But, whatever was the reason was, she couldn't be happier about spending the next few years of her life with them both.

Weiss had also pleasantly surprised her, despite her initial empty flattery and posturing. Even if she was a bit prickly and had a tendency to explode at most perceived slights, especially when it came to Ruby and Jaune.

Her gaze focused on the two, Ruby readying her weapon and requesting her blonde partner to do the same. She apparently wanted to spar with him… But why was this so urgent?

X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X

"Ouch… Man, she wasn't pulling any punches…" Jaune complained to himself, walking down the hallway after finishing sparring with his young partner. The girl was deceptively strong, considering her size and innocent demeanor! Or, was it more accurate to say that she was simply too fast to even hit! Hell, she'd run laps around him, in a fraction of the time it took him to come up with a decent strategy for hitting her. And in the end, after he was lying on the ground, she was mad at him for some reason! Saying something about him "holding back on her", not showing her what he could REALLY do.

Her hurt puppy-dog eyes almost made him break down. Luckily, Pyrrha had saved him from his horrible fate. She'd offered to talk to Ruby and calm her down.

Jaune was nearly back at his dorm, when he noticed someone walking towards him from the other end of the hall.

"Ah, I have been looking for you" his teacher remarked, upon spotting him.

"M-Miss Goodwitch?" the blonde boy greeted nervously. "You wanted to see me?" His voice may have come across as more fearful than he'd intended, but that wasn't his fault! The older woman was strict enough to make ANYONE nervous, no matter who it was.

"Yes, I did. I was actually on my way to your dorm room, to look for you" the older woman admitted, fixing her glasses. "You're not in any trouble" she assured, noticing his nervous expression.

The boy felt a bit relieved, trusting her words, despite his uneasiness around her. "Okay, so, you said you needed me?" the blonde boy confirmed.

"No, not me…" she started to explain. "I was asked to retrieve you by the Headmaster. It's not an assignment I'd usually take, but I wanted to speak to you as well…" Her tone contained the tiniest hint of annoyance, she guided him to the office of the Headmaster.

"T-The Headmaster?" he quailed, remembering the man who'd assigned him to his new team. 'He wants to see me?' That didn't sound good at all… Apparently, the blonde teacher didn't even know what the reason for the impromptu visit was.

Jaune was so absorbed in thought, he never even noticed his teacher's question. However he did register that she was speaking to him, it was adequate to snap him from his musings. "Wha? S-Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked, how are you doing after today's match? You didn't ask to go to the infirmary, after you'd finished" the huntress pointed out.

She was right. After the spar against Cardin he hadn't even felt tired, despite what had happened! You could even say that he'd felt better than before the fight had started! Maybe it was the feeling of victory that had filled him with pride. Or, the genuine praises from his team. Either way, he felt great right now! "I'm feeling fine!" the blonde boy insisted.

"That's good to know…" the older woman replied. She seemed to be thinking about something else, her expression difficult to decipher.

At last the two arrived at an elevator in the middle of the hallway. The pair rode it up to the top floor, where the office of the Headmaster was located.

X-=-=-=-=-=-X

The door to the elevator opened, both Jaune and Glynda walked inside the room at the top of the tower. The blonde boy would have asked what they were doing here, if he hadn't immediately noticed the huge office he was currently in. Clear glass windows surrounded the room, a desk right in the middle of it. Behind it sat a single man that the blonde boy knew very well.

In the space above him, the guts of an enormous clock hung. Clicking sounds echoed throughout the room.

The boy moved closer, his female teacher remaining behind.

"I'm pleased at how quickly Glynda managed to find you…" the older man greeted, glancing over at his deputy. "Thank you Glynda, that will be all."

The stern woman nodded once, before moving back to the elevator and leaving the two alone.

As soon as the elevator started moving, Jaune felt a small bit of relief wash over his body. Just how did his teacher make him more nervous than the Headmaster?! His gaze focused on the older man smiling at him.

"So … how are you enjoying your time at Beacon?" Ozpin asked, picking up his mug and taking a short sip. The older man kept his eyes trained on his young student, awaiting his response.

"Oh! Um… I like it a lot, Sir…" Jaune responded. He'd always had trouble talking with important people, he became extremely nervous every time he did so.

The Headmaster simply smiled, placing his mug back down and leaning back. "I assure you that there is no issue with your performance, not this early in the year… If there was, then many of your fellow students would be in serious trouble for falling asleep in Professor Port's class."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh at the icebreaker joke that the Headmaster had clearly told in order to calm his nerves. It seemed to work, helping foster a more casual atmosphere.

"Now, tell me … how are things going with your team?" the man asked.

"My team? Oh, things are great! They are just awesome! Ruby- Ah, Miss Rose is especially strong!"

"Miss Rose? Not Miss Nikos?" the Headmaster confirmed.

"No. Why would Pyrrha be stronger than Ruby?" Jaune asked, unsure as to what the older man meant.

"While Miss Rose is very talented for her age, Miss Nikos is a prized fighter. A champion of many tournaments" Ozpin explained.

"She is?!" Jaune exclaimed, more than a little surprised.

**X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X**

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